Funds are requested to provide support for the invited symposia that constitute the major part of the Biological Sciences Section of the Year 2002 Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), which will be held in Boston, Massachusetts from November 22-26, 2002. The conference will be organized by Dr. Roger J. McCarter, Chair-Elect of the Biological Sciences Section of the GSA. The goals of the meeting are to present state-of-the-art scientific seminars in many critical areas of experimental biogerontology, and to attract and promote interactions among researchers, clinicians and other health professionals whose work involves the biology of aging. The Conference will feature invited symposia on the following topics: (1) Recent Developments in Stem Cell Research; (2) Regulation of Aging in Invertebrates; (3) A Critical Appraisal of Models for Aging Research; (4) House Mice in Lab and Field: Diverse Models of Aging; (5) Oxidative Stress and Aging; (6) The Diversity of Aging in Different Tissues; (7) Stress and Damage in Skeletal Muscles with Age; (8) Muscle Strength Maintenance: Hibernation and Exercise Intervention Strategies; (9) Role of the GH-IGF-1 Axis in Aging Processes. Funds are requested to provide registration costs, economy class airfare travel expenses, and three days per diem reimbursement for invited speakers. These invited symposia, and other biological sciences section GSA activities including student symposia, poster sessions, and the other plenary sessions, will make the year 2002 annual meeting a highly stimulating experience which should generate new ideas and experiments as we move into the 21st century.